| Dear colleagues,
After more than 40 days of the government shutdown, this evening the Senate finally passed a bipartisan agreement on a funding package that includes three FY26 appropriations bills (Agriculture and FDA, Military Construction/Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Branch) while funding the remainder of the government via continuing resolution (CR) through January 30, 2026. To secure enough support for the package, Senate Majority Leader Thune promised Democrats a vote next month on yet-to-be-determined legislation to extend ACA tax credits.
While nothing is guaranteed in this Congress, the bill now heads back to the House where we expect it will likely pass, allowing the government to reopen later this week. Looking ahead, we are following what all of this movement might mean for Defense appropriations as well as a potential end-of-year healthcare package.
With your help through AAOS grassroots communications, the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025 has garnered 224 House cosponsors, surpassing majority support and opening up a potential pathway for a discharge position to bring the bill directly to the floor for consideration, increasing likelihood of passage.
Additionally, AAOS remains concerned about recently announced policies from many of the largest commercial health insurance carriers regarding downcoding of Evaluation and Management (E/M) codes. In response, AAOS led a coalition of over 20 primary care and specialist physician organizations in writing a letter to CMS’ Center for Consumer Information & Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) notifying them of these concerns. To learn more about what AAOS is doing to address downcoding issues at both the federal and state levels, click the button below: |
